Buffy returns in the top spot, although with sales far down on the beginning of the last Season, with Angel in third place. Sandwiched in between is Game of Thrones’ debut issue, while TMNT drops to fourth place after being last month’s best-selling indie. Further down the charts IDW’s other new licensed ongoing titles seem to be benefiting from the increased awareness the new DC books seem to be bringing, while many of Dynamite’s licenses seem to be tanking, the aforementioned Game of Thrones apart.

There were 127 indie books in the chart this month, well up on last month’s 103. The 103 book this month sold almost exactly what the 103 book last month sold, so this was certainly due to less Marvel and DC books released this month rather than stronger Indie sales. In fact those 103 books sold almost 35,000 less copies than last month, although top 300 indie sales are 1,053,116, almost 55,000 up on August. The bottom book sold 3,341 compared to last month’s 4,514. As usual, UK and European sales from Diamond UK are not reported in this chart.

This month Dark Horse were the number three publisher, with 4.76% dollar share and a 3.51 market share, followed by IDW with 4.13% dollar share and 3.10% market share, Image with a 4.08% dollar share and a 3.29% market share, Dynamite with a 3.07% dollar share and a 3.02% market share, and Boom with 1.39% dollar and 0.94% market share. That’s the same order as last month, although all but Dynamite have reduced figures.

We were unaware of the trend of teeny weeny libraries in little playhouses, but then we never look up from our backlit world. This one was designed by artist Colin McMullan on the classic New England library plan, and appropriately enough, it’s located on a corner in Williamsburg. The collection within includes books, zines, newspapers, and comics — in this case, Jesse Moynihan’s FOLLOW ME.

Looking to expand the “buy print, get digital free” model for their comics which began with this month’s AVENGING SPIDER-MAN, Marvel has announcedthat every issue in the Ultimate line will be sold with a code for a free digital download of the issue. The price will remain $3.99. David Brothers interviewed Marvel’s David Gabriel and Peter Phillips for all the details. The rollout begins with ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #6, ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN #7, and ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #7, but the downloads will be available ONLY for Marvel’s DCU store on iOS and Android and the Chrome browser — the codes can not be redeemed via comiXology’s Marvel store. According to Phillips, “We’ve got right now two different digital offerings: we’ve got the [back issues] of MDCU, Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited… and then we’ve got the brand new stuff that comes out that you can buy on a by-issue basis digitally. [The codes] are focused on the latter.”

Two blade-swinging heroines from different time periods, Witchblade and Red Sonja, are teaming up in a one-shot from Dynamite, and the question everyone is asking is “Will they be wearing chain mail?” The answer is yes! Writer Doug Wagner, artist Cezar Razek and cover artist Alé Garza comprise the creative team.

Over on their blog, DC has announced the rollout for the New 52 collections. Instead of dumping 52 trades in one month, they will be staggered from May-November, with 7 or 8 books released a month. Justice League, Batman, Green Lantern, Detective, Batman & Robin, Batgirl, Batwoman, Batman: The Dark Knight, Aquaman, Green Lantern Corps, Green Lantern: New Guardians, Action, Superman and Flash are all getting hardcovers; the rest get TPBs.

The Canadian comics free speech organization known as the CLLDF (Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund) has been mostly dormant for a while, but they have reactivated as part of the CBLDF case involving an American who faces charges over images found on his laptop by Canadian border inspectors. They’ve incorporated and added two Canadians retailers to their board, Jay Bardyla of Edmonton, Alberta; and Jennifer Haines of Guelph, Ontario.

More details of the last big indie show of 2011 have been announced, including related festivities, which include events at Union Pool, the Scot Eder Gallery, the Spectacle Theater and the Brick Theater, and an expanded guest list which, in addition to previously announced legends, also includes Adrian Tomine, Jordan Crane, Michael Deforge, Gabrielle Bell, Dash Shaw, Gary Panter, Frank Santoro, and Leslie Stein.

This has nothing to do with comics, but it is good to note the passing of our natural world. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has declared the western black rhino extinct. One of four sub-species of the black rhino, it was considered especially vulnerable to poachers who hunt the rhino for its horn, believed to contain medicinal properties.